COACHING TECHNIQUES
Listen as much or more than you speak
Researchers discovered that the more time a manager spent listening to their employees , the higher their feedback sessions are rated . For some individuals , receiving critical feedback feels like a personal attack . From a performance standpoint , this is dangerous because once people become defensive , they stop paying attention to your feedback . By asking your team members questions and giving them the opportunity to explain themselves or share any concerns with you , it turns your coaching session into a less-threatening conversation and makes people more open to your feedback . You may also find out that the reason for someone ’ s poor performance was a miscommunication of expectations or other factors outside of their control that as a leader , you need to improve .
During coaching sessions that are focused on celebrating your coachee ’ s successes , encourage them to reflect on what made them successful and what goals they want to pursue moving forward . This information will help you continue to support their success and to the greatest extent possible , give them work that aligns with their long-term visions for their careers .
Action step :
• When giving feedback , ask your coachee questions and give them time to explain their side of the story . If possible , use their input to improve their working conditions moving forward .
Follow-up on feedback
One of the biggest mistakes coaches make is giving their teams guidance and never checking to see the outcomes of it or if the people they coached even followed their advice at all . A five-year study of over 250 managers found that the leaders who followed up to find out the outcomes of their feedback had saw increased performance in their employees than the ones who didn ’ t .
Action step :
• Schedule time a couple of weeks after every coaching session to find out the extent that your advice is being followed and whether or not it is improving your coachee ’ s performance . If you coach people on a regular basis , this can be added to the beginning of your coaching session but if not , a quick meeting or phone call is a sufficient follow-up .
Read more at : scienceofpeople . com / coaching-employees +
Vanessa is Lead Investigator at Science of People . She is the best-selling author of Captivate : The Science of Succeeding with People , translated into 16 languages . More than 50 million people watch her engaging YouTube tutorials and TEDx Talk . Her much anticipated new book Cues was released on March 1st , 2022 .
Vanessa shares tangible skills to improve interpersonal communication and leadership , including her insights on how people work . She ’ s developed a science-based framework for understanding different personalities to improve our EQ and help us communicate with colleagues , clients , and customers . Vanessa is renowned for teaching science-backed people skills to audiences around the world including SxSW , MIT , and CES . Her groundbreaking and engaging workshops and courses teach individuals how to succeed in business and life by understanding the hidden dynamics of people .
Read more at : ScienceOfPeople . com / media /
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